Martina Doležalováhttp://martinadolezalova.cz
Osobní webové stránkyThu, 17 Jan 2019 13:13:10 +0000cs-CZhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8How I Met Two Angels on My Way to Paradise – And Got Stoned with One of Themhttp://martinadolezalova.cz/how-i-met-two-angels-on-my-way-to-paradise-and-got-stoned-with-one-of-them/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/how-i-met-two-angels-on-my-way-to-paradise-and-got-stoned-with-one-of-them/#respondWed, 16 Jan 2019 14:21:07 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=1244You never know how much time you have with someone… that is what my travels are also teaching me… Best to make the most of the present moment…

I met Oscar, a Mexican kundalini yoga teacher with shamanic spirit, at Bohemiaz yoga resort in Phnom Penh, and we decided to set together for a little adventure, exploring Kampot, Kep, the National Parks in the area, Sihanoukville and some of the Cambodian renowned islands…

We took a mini bus, called “VIP van” by the Mekong Express Bus Company to Kampot. The driver was a star and got us to the place even ten minutes before the expected time of three hours, while normally the ride takes actually longer on the broken and dusty country sides, amidst the unregulated traffic, cow crossings and all the constructions happening. The bus cost us only 8 dollars per person on top of that!

We struggled to hire a scooter in Kampot since nobody wanted to accept the copies of our passports, they wanted the originals and we did not bring them along out of security reasons. Eventually, we took a tuk tuk (always use the Grab or PassApp to order these, otherwise you get ripped off) to the Ganesha resort where we had previously booked a night online, and they allowed us to hire a scooter there – just as Oscar expected while I was desperate and sad: actually, Oscar was a huge help and angel on the trip from the very beginning to the very end, always believing that things would get solved and always finding a solution.

We headed out of the resort on a scooter to admire sunset in the provincial countryside of streams and ponds and rice fields and meadows. We stopped at a local night market and funfair before exploring the lovely town of Kampot which keeps its French touch and Western atmosphere of cafés and bars located along the riverside and on the houseboats. I got a crab for dinner, a delicacy so popular in this area as well as durian fruit, high quality pepper and fish sauce.

Now, while cannabis is officially illegal in the country, many “Happy“ restaurants, namely Happy Pizza restaurants, located in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Kampot and in other destinations attractive to tourists, publicly offer food cooked with marijuana, and if you are a tourist and ask politely at the bar you can even buy your 30 grams for 10 dollars inside the restaurants. I guess for the Cambodian government it is of greater concern that the locals do not get too messed up when it comes to hallucinogens rather than caring about what the tourists do.

So, quite naturally, with my respect to the healing effects of plant medicine, Oscar and I had a little ritual that night by our cabin, looking up at the starry sky (not spoiled by any city lights, since we were located deep in the countryside, with very limited number of lights in the resort), chanting together, praying, meditating and smoking a little. Oscar´s icaro chanting took me far in my visions and I got a chance to embrace a very special experience that night.

The next day we set off on the scooter to explore Kep, one of the newest provinces and actually the smallest one in Cambodia. The beach town of the same name has a very laid-back atmosphere with the locals chilling out on the pavement stretching along the beaches, selling their food and drinks, chatting. There are fishermen catching fish and crab and if you come to make a photograph of their haul they will readily show you some starfish and seahorses that got caught accidentally…

Kep is the place where you go to see the National park of the same name and from where you can take a ferry to Rabbit Island. Oscar and I went to the ferries to check the prices and see if we want to go to the island. We were not impressed by either the prices (25 dollars private boat one way – going any time, 8 dollars the shuttle – going four times a day, while our journey to Koh Rong Sanloem cost 24 per person, return, including the ferry and the bus to Sihanoukville – read more below) or the sea waters surrounding the island (basically the same as those of the Kep beaches, honestly, nothing thrilling, rather muddy and dark), so we were wondering what to do instead when I noticed a Western-looking guy standing behind us at the ferry information stall. I started chatting to him or perhaps he started chatting to us. His name was Nick, an Englishman living in London and taking his vacation. He gave us many tips on what to do to see around and also recommended a travel agency in Kampot he used to book his journey to Koh Rong Sanloem which was our idea for the next day.

Oscar and I left Kep to go and see the Bokor Mountain National park. You can drive through most parts of the park on your scooter, and even though it is hilly, there is a proper road running through, so the drive is safe even if the weather gets funny – and it does, on the way back it was me driving, through fog so thick you could barely see five metres ahead which appeared all of a sudden and disappeared as suddenly as it arrived.

You can get some really nice viewpoints in the park, out of which my favourite would be the one that opens into the valley and up to the sky behind the Old Catholic Church. The church itself is a special place. You get to the church by passing a casino (!) and walking up a staircase that reminds you of a stairway to heaven as it is steep and you can see only the church and the sky as you walk up. When you enter the church, you are stunned by how dilapidated it is, abandoned, ruined, yet, how it still keeps it genius loci. The energy and acoustics of the place is just something so overwhelming that I could not hold myself back and all of a sudden started singing chorales in spontaneous gratefulness and awe. The magic of the place made me feel the divine power and filled me with a feeling of appreciation as I understood that the same power has been lifting me up every time I feel down and doubtful. Honestly, I don’t care about a religion, I care about faith. I don’t care about a dogma, I care about the truth… I could have sung out my thankfulness in any other sacred place of the same strength of energy and it could have been a mantra instead of a chorale. But I will never forget the moment in the church and the love and light that felt so tangible.

When Oscar and I walked out of the church we were blessed by the wonderful view of clouds moving as if down below in the valley, while the sun was shining bright high up in the sky… something memorable, one of those precious moments that simply stays with you…

We made our way to the most famous of the several waterfalls in the park, Popokvil. Even in the dry season, the fall is beautiful, with its massive rock-face and lush forest around. Oscar and I had a proper yoga session down by the fall while the locals were watching us with interest, including four young monks who found the courage to follow us down (meaning they had to conquer a short, yet truly unbeaten path with huge rocks) to ask for some pictures with us. I would have never thought of monks having an interest in anything like that but it left a kind smile on my face.
When in the park, it is a must to stop by the 29 metres high statue of Yeay Mao or Lok Yeay Mao (Grandma Mao), an ancient mythical heroine and a divinity in the local popular form of Buddhism and Brahmanism.

Now, Cambodian countryside generally is a lot about stupas and temples and cows running gaily freely everywhere and dogs eating garbage in the streets and rivers and streams that are muddy but have their charm thanks to the simple fishermen barks that are randomly parked here and there. The traditional rural Khmer houses (varying in size from 4 metres by 6 metres to 6 by 10 metres), consist of basic wooden structure and the roof is erected before the walls on the upper floor are inserted. A common feature in every type of house is a 5 to 10 cm gap on all four sides, between the top of the wall of the upper floor and the roof, enabling natural ventilation of the house. The insides of the dwelling are usually quite dark as the locals avoid letting too much sunlight in. The houses are raised on stilts that sometimes extend as high as 3 metres off the ground so that the annual floods do not affect the main room; also farmers are able to use the ground level area beneath the house for working, rice drying or to provide shelter for livestock. One or two wooden ladders, ramps or staircases provide access to the upper floor.

The upper floor generally consists of one large room. The main part of this room, the area where visitors are received, is defined by four central pillars; in this space there will be a Buddha, a television, and an (often battery-operated) electric light in the centre attached to the pillars. The parents’ sleeping space is usually separated from the central entrance by textiles. To the back of the upper floor, on the left, there is a space for the girls, whilst the boys have a space reserved for them on the right. This arrangement may vary, but children are always separated by gender and placed at the back of the house.

When you drive through the countryside, you get nice views of these houses of varying colours that somehow gives you the feeling of calmness and serenity. Life pace here is quite relaxed and peaceful with kids playing in the rice fields, catching snakes for fun (unlike Thailand, in Cambodia it is still legal to eat snake and drink the blood), riding old shabby bicycles or chasing the cow and chickens while chewing on sugar cane…

I would say that generally the atmosphere of Cambodia is kind and pleasant when you forget about the tuk tuk drivers who can become annoying with price haggling and most of whom will try to rip you off. They are also often reluctant to pay back your change. The best way to avoid any of those problems is to use the Grab App or Pass App and make sure you always have some smaller banknotes in your wallet.

I had a very unpleasant experience with a tuk tuk driver throwing money paid back at my feet when I asked for the change back. It happened by the travel agent´s bus station in Kampot from where we were going to Koh Rong Sanloem, one of the renowned Cambodian islands. All the other local people present, who observed this incident, suddenly aligned and when I picked the money – and Oscar asked the driver again to give me back my change (to which he replied he had no change at all) – and went to change the banknote at the travel agent´s they refused to help saying they had no money there! I was forced to pay the driver without getting any change back. Oscar insisted that I remain strong and throw the money at his feet too, explaining to him that this is not the way he can treat women. I did so and off he went angrily while the other women present (some in veils as they were Muslim) avoided my eyes…

Anyway, the situation melted to oblivion as Nick arrived, the Englishman we met in Kep before, and seeing us present (and understanding that we liked the deal he got and opted for the same one) said in a joking manner: “The trouble of this place is that you keep bumping into the same people.”

Laughter is the best healer, truly… and we laughed all the way from Kampot to Sihanoukville (about 2.5 hours on the bus) as we met four Czech people (two couples) on the bus and played games with them and shared a lot of stories.

Nick, a stunning story teller with a great eye to perceive details, became my second angel on the way to paradise, Koh Rong Sanloem, probably the most beautiful island I have ever seen in my life, placed in the midst of pristine turquoise waters and white sand beaches, with limited electrical supplies and no means of transport other than boats (even bikes are impossible as the island is filled with sand, so you have to walk), with sea food, fish and local fruits and veggies as the main dishes, and with cold water only even in the expensive beach resorts.

Nick cancelled his original accommodation arrangements to stay with Oscar and me, who did not want to take an expensive fishermen boat to the other side of the island, and all three of us spontaneously arranged for a room together in Dolphin Bay, a backpackers place right on the beach in the left corner from the ferry boats pier.

I will never forget the beautiful sunset swim and acro yoga on the Lazy Beach, the walk in almost complete darkness (since only Nick used a torch on his phone on the way through the dark forest from Lazy Beach to Leng Meng Beach near which we were staying) and swimming in the fluorescent plankton at night. There was only Nick and me on the small bark that took us onto the sea, and suddenly we stopped, and there was complete darkness, only the stars above, and the boatman put his leg into the water and started the swirl of light, and I began squealing with delight and jumped into the waters, just to observe the beauty I was creating with my moves.

Those beautiful memories beat those of the long waiting back in Sihanoukville (a city of Chineses investors, construction works, casinos and skyscrapers) for the bus to Phnom Penh, the funny lunch at a Chinese restaurants where I got the first and most probably the last ever dumplings, the food poisoning that arrived two hours later as we were sitting on the bus with no loo and I was counting every minute of the five-hour ride before we stopped at a dirty petrol station where the toilets were filthy (and wet again as the locals use bum showers rather than toilet paper that cannot be flushed down the toilet) and even the moments when I vomited on the bus and when we had to get off earlier (just on the edges of Phnom Penh, as I desperately needed the toilet again) and then haggle with the tuk tuk drivers to take us to our yoga resort while I felt so sick.

Koh Rong Sanloem is to stay in my beautiful memories as the time in Paradise with my two loving and compassionate angels who let me have the biggest bed in the shared bedroom…
Bless you!

]]>http://martinadolezalova.cz/how-i-met-two-angels-on-my-way-to-paradise-and-got-stoned-with-one-of-them/feed/0Cambodia – Kingdom of Wonderhttp://martinadolezalova.cz/cambodia-kingdom-of-wonder/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/cambodia-kingdom-of-wonder/#respondThu, 10 Jan 2019 12:00:34 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=1215As the night progressed into day, the first of the fresh new year, I said my goodbye to 2018 and Australia, and a hello to 2019 and a move on… to Cambodia. I never expected myself to travel to this country, never felt any need or calling. Until recently. So, it just happened so. Even though people around warned me of the poverty, criminality, dirtiness and the heavy energy caused by the recent genocide carried out by the Khmer Rouge regime (inflicting a population loss of around 1.800 million people, i.e. around a quarter of Cambodia’s 1975 population, in between 1975 to 1979), I decided to set off for this new journey, becoming a yoga teacher in a yoga resort (called Bohemiaz) in Phnom Penh.

The greatest motto of my life during my travels has become: “Keep things simple like the flow of a river and don´t forget to smile.” So, all I have is a few dozen thousands Czech crowns left on my life saving account (yes, the money I have been using for my travels is running low swiftly), great trust and a belief that all this is happening for a very special reason.

Cambodia has a hard position to gain my love after all the warnings (the snatchers in the streets, the pickpockets, the safety of a single blonde lady at night), doubts (Why such a poor, developing country?), fears (I am just a girl, after all…) and after Australia, the very civilized country of crystal clear sea waters and laid-back lifestyle of great comfort, where I have created many attachments during the quarter of a year spent there. The 1st of January, the day of my departure, was a day of many tears shed. This is something that no one can see from the pictures on Facebook I upload from the countries I travel too, but I really find it hard to leave places and people and then settle in new places. By the time I feel settled, I have to move on. So, this has been pretty hard and I cannot explain what great effort, discipline and strong will lies behind my ability to keep moving on…

Cambodia has recently been called the Kingdom of Wonder, thanks to the amazing Buddhist temples, prominently Angkor Wat, the beaches stretching over more than 440 km in the area of Kampot and Kep and Sihanoukville and the amazing islands, namely Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem that offer unique paradise-like atmosphere of white sand, turquoise waters, boat transport merely and very simple, laid-back lifestyle.

However, it is a poor country. And poor countries sought by tourists are often prone to crime. Bigger cities are known for snatchers and pickpockets. Also, there are poor people in the streets who are still greatly affected by the genocide of the 70´s – it is not rare to see a one-legged or a one-armed person. Almost every single family lost somebody in the killing processes and it takes a strong mind to go and see the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek, about 15 km away from Phnom Penh, especially since many dozens of mass graves are visible above ground (the graves were often shallow; the prisoners were frequently asked to dig their own ones). Commonly, bones and clothing surface after heavy rainfalls due to the large number of bodies still buried in shallow mass graves. It is not uncommon to run across the bones or teeth of the victims scattered on the surface as one tours the memorial park. The Khmer Rouge regime arrested and eventually executed almost everyone suspected of connections with the former government or with foreign governments, as well as professionals and intellectuals. Ethnic Vietnamese, ethnic Thai, ethnic Chinese, ethnic Cham, Cambodian Christians, and the Buddhist monkhood were the demographic targets of persecution.

Currently, the country is run by Royal Government and the king, Norodom Sihamoni, is the representative head of the country. He became King on 14 October 2004, after his father´s abdication. Sihamoni is best known for his work as a cultural ambassador in Europe and as a classical dance instructor, a specialization he graduated from in Prague, Czech Republic. He is the only king in the world who can speak fluent Czech. I have seen him in person in 2006 when he came to Prague for an official visit and the National Theatre in Prague organized a special ballet performance to honour him and to commemorate the years 1962 to 1975 which he spent studying ballet in the Czech Republic. His behaviour was modest and honest, and I do believe that it reflected his personality. His Majesty is 66 years old and he never married which is certainly surprising in a very traditional country such as Cambodia…

My boss, the local owner of Bohemiaz Yoga Resort, spent about 13 years living in Europe too, in France. I enjoy talking to him in French (though his English is amazing too) and I love his two kids who live here (the other two live in France), the twelve-year old daughter, Lyna, who enjoys playing with my hair and who is always followed by her black puppy Princess, and the sixteen-year-old son, Nico, who is smart and thoughtful. Every Saturday, there is a family BBQ at the resort and the guests are welcome to join in, which is always a great celebration with amazing food, chill-out music and often also guitar playing.

I came to Bohemiaz with the New Moon and I do believe that it symbolically reflects my new beginnings… I am trying to become “localized” by trying to find my way around the city on a bike and a scooter rather than using tuk tuks and rickshaws. I have tried various street foods and streets drinks (from sugarcane juice to passion fruit lemonades), managed the repair of several of my clothing by a street seamstress (using my Cambodian sim card with data and thus also the online English-Cambodian dictionary to explain what is needed), bought a silk skirt at a local market for three dollars (the locals use riels as well as US dollars as their standard currency), managed to buy a shoe-repair superglue (all my shoes are gradually breaking apart on my travels) and incense for my yoga classes, tasted by now all of the Cambodian beer types (Angkor is probably the best one; beer here costs about one dollar and alcohol is generally much cheaper than in Bali or Thailand) and had my laundry done (for a dollar and a half) as well as my haircut – which is actually something with quite a story in the background.

After 12 years of allowing only my mum to cut my hair (as I trust her the most) I let another person cut my hair. For the last few weeks I felt I needed to break “the thing“ with not letting anyone but my mum touch it with scissors. And it happened here in Cambodia. 15 cm of my hair gone… ladies often get a haircut after a break up, feeling that they have lost their power… there must be something archetypal about this… to me, the fear of having a hair cut by a stranger had been supported for years by the fact that my dad wanted me to have short hair when I was younger while I desired long… I disliked the hair-dresser in our town, cried over every single haircut and grew wild when at Grammar School I put my foot down and let my hair grow long finally, against my father’s will… in 2007 I went short-haired after a big breakup and then resolved not to do that ever again, and not to have my hair touched by stranger’s scissors… the journey I have been on for the last half year teaches me a lot… among else that the past is the past. It is gone. And the present moment is here with its freshness… why carry fears and doubts and worries from the past to the present light? So, with the first New Moon in 2019, I decided it was time to let go of whatever no longer serves me… I let go of the fears and tears connected with hair-cutting as well as the remorse directed towards my parents who used to want me have my hair cut boy-style short which made me feel not pretty. I understand now that the beauty and strength in me has got nothing to do with hair and hair cutting… I choose to live the fresh present moment, the new cycle, freed from any fear, prejudice and heaviness of misunderstandings and misconception. I forgive and let go. May the new cycle higher up on the spiral arrive with bright light of sunshine…

Especially when the traditions at Christmas time involve about twelve kinds of artisanal home-made Christmas cookies, delicious mulled wine, freshly caught carp and my dad´s special potato salad, a fire place burning in a room that overlooks snowy landscape, Christmas markets with gingerbread cookies, wooden decorations and various arts and crafts where you hear traditional Christmas songs sung by choirs, church concerts (including the necessary Ryba´s Czech Christmas Mass), Christmas Eve midnight candle services, a great deal of Christmas traditions and customs (from cutting the apple for good luck to throwing a slipper to see if you´re going to go travelling or become married) and – above all – stunning Christmas decorations made of glass on real Christmas trees of magnificent smells and sizes…

The gifts this year were not brought by Baby Jesus but by Santa. The 24th, which is the Christmas Day and Christmas Eve in the Czech Republic, was a normal working day here but some families – like the one where I am staying, with Becky, Hartley and Carlos – invited friends or relatives or both over for a nice dinner in the evening. We had Sam and Mike coming for mashed potatoes and turkey roll, a few drinks and a sleep-over.

All the main Christmas programme in Australia happens on the 25th (though there are Christmas masses served on the evening of the 24th), when you open the gifts in the morning (thank you for the lovely ylang-ylang essential oil and my first ever body scrub, Santa), have sea-food for lunch (we had shrimps, mussels and octopuses) – and possibly dinner, crack the Christmas crackers (to find a silly little thing inside like a keyring, a quote and a paper crown to wear), listen to Christmas songs all day long and spend the time with family and/or friends, drinking, talking, eating snacks, possibly going to the beach or/and to some café in the afternoon or a restaurant/bar in the evening.

I spent the 24th, which is normally the Christmas day in the Czech Republic, on Shelly beach, swimming and sunbathing, catching up with another inspiring person I happened to meet during my travels, a half-American, half-Porto Rican former student of finances and environmental protection who used to be a wrestling coach for kids, Andre. We enjoyed plentiful conversations about nothing and everything.

The afternoon of the 25th was dedicated to some quality time of lake kayaking with an amazing friend of mine, Ashley, a local Sunshine Coast painter, who I have mentioned previously in my texts. The sunset over the lake with the view to the Glasshouse Mountains is something I shall remember… we enjoyed some sunset lake yoga together too and a visit to Ashley´s friend who owns a house by the lake, surrounded by wilderness and many birds, such as peacocks and kookaburras, who simply arrived to the garden one day and decided to stay. I had a chance to cuddle a kookaburra and choose a few peacock feathers (as the birds shed them every year) for the ASMR treatments I sometimes do.

The 26th here is the Boxing Day, a day of sales and shopping. I joined Ashley early morning for a bit of surfing, but the waves were unfavourable to a good surf so we ended up in the Kawana shopping centre instead of Kawana beach. The shops were packed with people and irresistible offers such as “three for five” and “all for three” so I bought two shirts, two pairs of shoes and enjoyed a nice spa pedicure. Ashley went to that one too but did not truly seem to be enjoying himself and kept saying that “no straight Australian bloke would go to have one of these”. Oh well…

Christmas time in Queensland falls into the summer season and summer school holidays which start usually in the half of December and continue till the end of January. That makes the days in between the Christmas and New Year “family days” of “going to trips”. The beaches were overcrowded and when I met my Czech friend from Grammar School after 17 years of not seeing each other (as she lived in England, Ireland and ended up being an Australian citizen well-established in Brisbane) at Mooloolaba on the 27th we could barely find a place for lunch at the Wharf and a place for swimming among the flags (the patrolled swimmers´ area) on the beach.

Australia zoo the day after was packed with people and it was hard to find an empty seat at the stadium at noon, when the main show with crocodiles and birds was happening – very cool, by the way and if you haven’t been, give it a go!

The same was true for the Mooloolaba Sealife, underwater and marine life centre where Ashley took me on the 29th. I loved the seal shows, so educative and cool, and the jelly fish display as well as the sea horses and sea dragons – their motion is so peaceful and graceful. I touched the star fish and loved the walk through the tunnel with sharks literally swirling above my head with their jaws wide open.

The 30th was my “get fit” and “release the thoughts” day, cycling for hours (probably about 40 km), as the end of the year for me always is a time of great contemplation, this year the more due to all the decisions I have made, the way I live my life now and the travels that force me to move on even if I feel very comfortable somewhere. It is going to be hard for me to leave Australia, the country that seemed so harsh to me in the beginning, as you can read here.

As Ashley says, from every hard moment there is always something good bound to come out of it. I loved my stay in Australia, and that country will always have its very special place in my heart.

Leaving for Cambodia tomorrow, on the New Year´s Eve tonight (which I am going to spend with my friend picnicking at Point Cartwright, up on the hill, watching the fireworks from Mooloolaba and other beaches) shall be filled with contemplation, nostalgia and goodbyes.

May your 2019, the year of destiny as they say, be a truly miraculous one, bringing you blessings and love as well as good health and good luck. May you meet the souls you have been longing to meet, may you experience what you have been desiring. May you live in peace and harmony with yourself and the others. May you overcome whatever you need to overcome. May you be the person you truly want to be and live the life you truly want to live. All the best for 2019!

]]>http://martinadolezalova.cz/aussie-christmas-in-queensland-sea-food-beach-sun-and-fun/feed/0Cairns – On Crocodiles, Ozone Hole, Cyclones and the Most Beautiful River I´ve Ever Seenhttp://martinadolezalova.cz/cairns-on-crocodiles-ozone-hole-cyclones-and-the-most-beautiful-river-ive-ever-seen/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/cairns-on-crocodiles-ozone-hole-cyclones-and-the-most-beautiful-river-ive-ever-seen/#commentsWed, 19 Dec 2018 07:37:42 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=1112What comes to my mind immediately in association with Cairns is The Great Barrier Reef, World Heritage Tropical Rainforest, strong Aboriginal spirit and stretches of beautiful beaches you can sunbathe at or have picnics at, but cannot actually swim at most of them – so it is like standing by a spring of water, thirsty, unable to drink.

As if it did not suffice that Australians suffer the highest rates of skin cancer in the world since the UV radiation levels are higher as the continent is located close to the ozone hole over the Antarctic (and during summer, the earth’s orbit brings Australia even closer to the sun, resulting in an additional 7% of solar UV intensity, which means that Australians are exposed to up to 15% more UV than Europeans), they say that Australia is also a country where animals try to kill you! Most of the world´s most venomous animals live on this continent and many of these in Northern Queensland (i.e. Cairns too), including: irukandji jellyfish, box jellyfish, crocodiles, cone shells, stonefish and sharks (of course, they are everywhere in Queensland).

Crocs and various stingers are a great threat in Cairns as they frequently occur in the wet, summer season and cause severe injuries and even deaths. That is why you cannot swim anywhere, but in specifically designated areas protected by sea nets. Funny enough, these nets are taken out of the sea at times of dramatic weather forecasts, so then you can just sit on the beach and look at the sea!

It is normal to find first aid vinegar bottles (to be applied on the stings) near the beaches as well as pictograms warning about crocs and stingers. When I arrived to Cairns, everyone was freaking out as the media said there´s a cyclone coming. The beaches would bear signs saying NO SWIMMING (even in the designated areas) as the nets were removed for safety reasons due to those forecasts (while the weather, eventually, did not turn out to be that dramatic).

Luckily, Cairns – on its own a simple, not a particularly interesting town (with mud-dirty sea as it spreads around a man-made mud-base marina) where the main tourist attraction is an artificially created swimming pool (called poetically a lagoon) that smells of chlorine (as it takes all sorts to swim in there and even perform their hygienic needs there) – has some amazing fresh water swimming areas with pristine clear water, such as Crystal Cascades and the Fairy Falls (located nearby), Josephine Falls, Mossman Gorge – with the most beautiful river I have ever seen – and many “hidden” little creeks, lakes and pools surrounded by stunning tropical rainforests (trust me, you do not need to go to the tourist-laced Daintree National Park, listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015, to get the Wet Tropics Rainforest experience), out of which my favourite would probably be Moore´s Gully creek with two lovely small falls dropping down ochre rocks, unknown to tourists yet familiar to the locals, especially those who live in the suburbs of Trinity and Kewarra Beach. Bordering The Reserve, Moore’s Gully is a riot of native trees with trails for walking and cycling and tropical butterflies flying around.

Now, no need to mention that Australia is a vast country. So after my two-hour-flight from Brisbane to Cairns, I found myself in a completely different climate: extremely hot (with temperatures above 30 degrees) and humid. Summers here are the wet season while winters (with temperatures around 25 degrees) are dry (so the high season here is actually winter). And the wet seasons can have some nasty surprises in stock, such as massive storms, strong winds and floods.

When you travel, you have to trust: in the kindness of strangers as well as weather. You wish for neither to be temperamental and capricious. I happened to arrive to Cairns when the media threatened with cyclone catastrophes and dramas. I came to Cairns mainly to fulfil my dream of diving at the outer Great Barrier Reef but due to the cyclone fear many companies cancelled their boat trips to the Reef. I was determined to go as I knew deep inside me I would be safe and all the fuss´s about nothing. While travelling I have been learning to listen to my intuition rather than anything else. And this time, as usually, it paid off for me.

I found a company that was going on the day which was predicted to be the most catastrophic one. There were in fact only two companies going to the ocean on that day… I guess, when you believe, things are bound to work out… While it was pouring with rain in Cairns, it was nice on the ocean, with just a few minor showers, reasonable waves and even a bit of sunshine. I got to see the first shark in my life passing me peacefully at a touch distance at the first stop at Thetford Reef, befriended some fish and blue jelly fish (I thought in the beginning that they´re dangerous but when I had to swim at one point through a shoal of them without getting stung I understood the misconception and enjoyed their company of light and colour and soft touch) and made another of my dreams come true – against all odds!

I was thrilled too when at our second stop as soon as I jumped into the water to enjoy relaxing snorkelling a small juvenile golden trevally came around and stayed with me for the time of my snorkelling session, which lasted for about 30 to 45 minutes. Golden trevally fish are found either as a solitary individual or in small schools. Juveniles form schools which tend to follow or “pilot“ larger fish such as groupers or even sharks. Their manoeuvrability protects them from their hosts while they are provided with protection from predation from other fish. This behaviour extends to scuba divers, and I was lucky enough to get this single young individual stationing itself near my face and hands so I could touch it and play with it as we went on exploring the Milln Reef.

Generally, the companies in Cairns offer similar packages of two snorkelling sites, one introduction (discovery) dive (10 to 12 metres deep, 15 to 35 mins in total) and a lunch on the boat for approximately 230 dollars. The company I went with stopped at Fitzroy island on top of the deal. The crew was lovely and I was fortunate enough to get a dive instructor only for myself, as the other girl who was supposed to dip into the water with me was unable to come at the appointed moment due to her mental condition. Sebastian made sure I was alright when the shark passed by and pointed out another one to me swimming just above, he let me dive slightly deeper than officially allowed when he saw how I was enjoying myself and fooled around making underwater air bubbles till he got me laughing (to the extent that my mask and gear allowed me to).

The only thing that could have been better on my tour would be getting a snorkelling guide (as the standard is in e.g. Bali) who would point out some cool parts of the Reef because obviously the professionals know exactly where to go while we had to find our way around.

Sadly, what probably cannot be changed by now is the fact that the Reef is bleached and broken at many parts. I blame the activity of mankind for that and appreciate the fact that Australian government is spending a lot of money to protect and conserve the Reef now, though it might be a little too late. I believe there are still stunning and undamaged parts of the Reef but tourists would not probably be taken there, which, after all, is good, because seeing what harm some people can cause with their fins just because they are clumsy or ignorant made me sorrowful.

During my stay in Cairns I was accommodated through couchsurfing (completely free of charge) at a marvellous host lady (of about 62 years of age, a 50-year-old looking body and a 35-year-old youthful spirit) whose name is Dee. She also has an Aboriginal name as she spent a part of her life living with Aboriginal communities e.g. in Alice Springs, so she has great knowledge of plants and animals as well as Aboriginal traditions. This genuine woman inspired me with her knowledge and opinions. She travelled the world around herself and thus is understanding of the needs and emotions of a traveller. I felt truly welcome. I had a bedroom and a bathroom of my own in her big house and I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful tropical zen garden she has created which left me speechless when it opened to me in the central courtyard for the first time. I will never forget our morning yoga and meditation with the sound of chimes and the view of the garden… Dee is also an amazing cook so her dinners felt like a pure blessing of love. I appreciated her care for and about others, people (she used to be a nurse), animals (she shelters three dogs and a cat and is a complete vegetarian), the environment (her house runs on solar energy and implements water saving precautions), her organic way of life and her support of local farmers. We shared some very special experiences such as beach yoga at the Resort and Spa at Kewarra Bech where she lives, a visit to a Buddhist centre near Cairns, a bush walk and a stroll down the lovely Palm Cove beach with its many cool cafés and cute little shops occuring along. Dee also became a real friend in need when I could not get downtown in time enough for my diving trip. She helped out and I will always remember her flexibility and resilience when it came to a truck car tyre changing which she managed on her own in about ten minutes!

There is a Buddhist mantra, in fact a lotus sutra (created by a Japanese monk) that was popularized by Tina Turner, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. It says that lotus is a flower growing out of great mud – the deeper the mud, the more beautiful the flower. Metaphorically, it reminds us that whatever harsh experiences we go through, we can always grow out of them as a beautiful lotus flower. It is our own choice. On my first night at Dee´s, this mantra kept running through my mind. Later, I understood why. Dee to me will always represent a perfect embodiment of this mantra. In her personal life, she has walked such a troublesome, dramatic, even tragic path that could leave one desperate, broken, relinquished. Yet, Dee flourished upon those experiences into a beautiful flower that spreads the beauty farther on even though it is not always easy…

One day, as I was cycling along the beaches and through the tropical rain forests, observing wallabies, smelling jasmine, seeing how people live in the suburbs and making snaps of some funny Christmas house decorations (such as 8 huge kangaroos cut out of cartons and placed in the front yard instead of the 8 reindeer of Santa – how aussie), it occurred to me that I had a mission in Cairns. I stopped the bike at one of the beaches and meditated to the sound of the waves and the word Mossman kept coming to me. I remember that a Caloundra yoga teacher, Lindey, has mentioned the Mossman Gorge to me. Then I remembered hearing those words again from Dee. I could see a vision of crystal clear water of the Mossman river with myself swimming in it. I knew then what I had to do…

Dee could not take me to the place as her car had some problems with the steering, but through the help of my lovely Australian-Italian friend and soul brother, Marco, who happened to be in Cairns when I was there, I managed to find a person willing to drive me there for reasonable money, “last minute”, on the last day of my stay in Cairns (in fact, I was leaving that very afternoon, so the ,ission had to be accomplished successfully in the morning). The quest to Mossman Gorge, the traditional homeland of the indigenous Kuku Yalanji people, with Terry, a French Canadian young scientist and sportsperson, was unforgettable in its own way and as strong as the Jenolan Caves healing quest I have spoken about here.

The Eastern Kuku Yalanji (Goo-goo Ya-lan-gee) people have occupied this area for thousands of years and they are recognised as the Traditional Owners of it. The energy of the place is amazing and intense and neither the tourist centre with a shop, nor the shuttle buses or the metallic suspension bridge (running across the Rex Creek close to where it enters the Mossman River, linking the carpark area to a 2.4 km rainforest loop track) can change the genuine feel of it. The water is pristine clear and wild, so wild that the cyclone threat made the area inaccessible for a few days as the rangers were worried about floods and currents. Terry and I refused to follow the restrictions and walked under the barriers to get a swim in the river which seemed welcoming and calm enough. The rangers came to kindly ask us to leave the water at one point (only to open the spot an hour later as the threat of floods has subsided and the prohibition of swimming was officially cancelled) so we moved further up the stream where there was nobody there and got our ritual and spiritual connection with the water and the land around.

Now, even though there are still many issues concerning the Aboriginal integration into the non-Aboriginal society of Australia, the forgiveness for the past felt strong at this place and I keep my belief of the “dreaming rising through the world connecting, not parting” as described at the end of the text here. We shall overcome…

]]>http://martinadolezalova.cz/cairns-on-crocodiles-ozone-hole-cyclones-and-the-most-beautiful-river-ive-ever-seen/feed/2Sunshine Coast – Living with an Australian Familyhttp://martinadolezalova.cz/sunshine-coast-living-with-an-australian-family/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/sunshine-coast-living-with-an-australian-family/#respondMon, 10 Dec 2018 08:19:22 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=1089Rebecca, Hartley and Carlos are my new family members. I am living in their luxurious big house (in a small suburb in Baringa, Bell´s Creek, near Caloundra, Sunshine Coast); sometimes they drive me to places in their big cars and we have shared some big experiences together as they like throwing big parties.

Hartley is a big-hearted, strong, tall man with genuine kindness born into him. Rebecca is by far the most decisive, wittiest woman I´ve ever met whose jokes will choke you with laughter. Carlos (who I dog-sit when Becky and Hartley are at work) is the cutest pug under the sun who happens to love me so much that – even if castrated – if I drop my dirty underwear to the floor he gets to it immediately and starts licking it!

Becky and Hartley believe that my English is good enough to understand whichever linguistic peculiarities and thus do not change their talk (unlike most of the other Australians I got connected with so far) for me in any way to make it simpler; as a result of that I get to hear a lot of the typical Australian shortenings such as Woolies (Woolworths), headies (headphones), Sunny Coast (Sunshine Coast), sus (suspicious) and – most notably – delish (delicious).

They also use a lot of the typical aussi (Australian) expressions such as arvo (afternoon), that´s sick (great), G’day (Good Day/Hello), garbo (garbage collector) and thongs (flip flops, not G strings).

My new family also introduced me to some of the crazy foodstuffs such as “sausage sizzle” (a sausage served in roll – white and bittered – and hot chips, sometimes with tomato or brown sauce). Quite a shock after my almost four-month mostly vegan and vegetarian diet.

I learned what a stubby holder is (an insulated sleeve to keep a beer cold) as well as Bundaberg rum. I also got to know that Backstreet Boys are back together (yep, a big TV here that I have not watched for quite a few years now) and experienced the bushfires (I often don’t know still if it is rain coming or clouds of smoke).

As I have happened to arrive right for the Advent time, I could enjoy decorating the house with all the Christmas trifles. The trees here are artificial mostly (blame it on the high temperatures) and there are no fireplaces here, neither tree branches with lights that would be decorating them and giving the houses the special smell of Christmas. The decorations here would include a lot of inflatable Santas and snowmen and rooftop lights.

Nobody here bakes Christmas cookies, but surely, they have the crackers and the pudding. They do not celebrate St Nicholas night, so no sweets hidden behind the windows this year, no coal, potatoes, or – since I´m always so nice – sweets… They do have Christmas markets though where my favourite bit is the “Lucky Dip” (there might be a bit of a gambler in me after all) – you pay a dollar or so to pick a prize out of a container with many different prizes in it, without being able to see what you are picking.

Life here is driven by the rhythm of the sun which comes out around 4:45 am and sets around 6:30 pm. I myself got caught up by that rhythm and shifted from an owl to an early bird (which in my case means waking up spontaneously around 6:30 am and going to bed around 9:30 pm).

Becky´s and Hartley´s friends are cool people who love to chillout and party on Saturdays. If I thought that everything in Australia swirls around healthy diet and active lifestyle, I could not have been more wrong. Just like everywhere else, you find people who would spend their weekends surfing and hiking and jet skiing and cycling and then those who prefer to suntan on the beach or relax in the garden, drink a glass in the garden spa and enjoy evening fun with friends. Gyms are big here though and I even got a chance to try out several new exercises such as the Zuu (bodyweight training encompassing features of gymnastics and yoga).

Parties here are wild! I mean truly wild… coming from three different yoga and healing centres this has been quite a challenging change… but not one I could not enjoy…

Sunshine Coast is the third most populated area in Queensland. Located 100 km north of Brisbane, its urban area spans approximately 60 km of coastline and hinterland from Pelican Waters to Tewantin. Tourism here is quite an important industry, especially in the coastal hubs such as Caloundra, Kawana Waters, Maroochydore and Noosa Heads.

My favourite beaches would include Noosa Beach, but rather than the Main Beach it would be those tiny beaches running along the National Park trail, Coolum Beach in Maroochydore (by the way, they have great seafood dishes in the town´s Surfers´ Club), Moffat, Currimundi, Shelly and Dicky Beach (with the cute Clancy’s Beachside Takeaway that reminds you the 60´s American roadside bistros) in Caloundra as well as the long stretch of Caloundra´s Golden Beach where you can always find some abandoned spots for natural bathing.

Most residents here would enjoy beach life (with a lot of surfing, free diving and scuba diving) – though the area is known to be a home to various kinds of sharks, so basically any time you step into the water you “walk onto the sharks´ plate” and funny enough, surfers here call themselves “shark biscuits”, picnicking and – rather than jogging – walking along the beach promenades. Hang-gliding, cycling and hiking is quite big here too thanks to the hinterlands that include the stunning Glasshouse Mountain National Park (with some spectacular views), Kondalilla National Park (with amazing waterfalls), Noosa National Park (with the main trail running along beaches), and the Great Sandy National Park which includes sections of Fraser Island.

Even though the area is inhabited by some interesting fauna, including koalas and kangaroos, they are sometimes hard to spot in the wilderness. That is why most tourists as well as locals opt for going to the Australia Zoo which takes pride in “a team of passionate conservationists working around-the-clock to deliver an animal experience like no other“. The zoo offers “a walk on the wild side with tigers, cuddling a koala or hand-feeding a rascally red panda”.

For those who prefer sanctuaries for their chamber-like atmosphere, I would recommend a visit to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary located just about 12 km away from Brisbane. Founded as early as 1927 as a safe refuge for sick, injured, and orphaned koalas, it remains a frequently visited destination for local and international guests not only to see native Australian animals, but also to connect and learn via many diverse presentations and educative talks.

In the sanctuary, you can also cuddle a koala, you can walk among, cuddle and hand-feed kangaroos while they are running gaily, freely in their designated territory, you can watch a show with trained farm dogs that can herd sheep, or enjoy another show with wild birds flying just a few centimetres above your head. If that is not enough, you can observe vets treating various animals in the “operating room” and animal food being prepared in the kitchen as there are huge transparent window panels on both the rooms.

Caloundra itself, where I get to spend most of my time, offers “stunning coastal paths and well-maintained boardwalks that allow daily life to unfold in a haze of fabulous breakfast, sandy beaches, scooter-happy trails and grassy picnic spots.“ I love cycling along the coastal trails, buying trifles in the many OP shops downtown, but above all, the marvellous sunsets here “behind” the views of the Glass House Mountains that make me feel humble and appreciative of the present moment.

]]>http://martinadolezalova.cz/sunshine-coast-living-with-an-australian-family/feed/0Byron Bay Hippie Hippie Shakehttp://martinadolezalova.cz/byron-bay-hippie-hippie-shake/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/byron-bay-hippie-hippie-shake/#respondFri, 30 Nov 2018 07:52:26 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=1063Just like San Francisco became the “must” for the US hippies in the 60´s and 70´s, Byron Bay has become one for the Australians – and holds the status till the present days for many xpats too.

God, really. It’s a must-go… the yoga capital of Australia and a modern-day version of the hippie-times, this charming, eclectic town and in fact the whole area of Northern Rivers is something you will never forget. The experience always leaves an impact!

A home to talented artists in the streets, both refined and expensive as well as cool and amazingly cheap restaurants, lovely shops, OP shops, beaches, surfers, backpackers, shamans and healers from all around the world, it is the Mecca of the “alternative styles” disciples, New Age enthusiasts and boho fashion lovers.

The way of living here is laid-back, hippie-like, spinning around house-sharing (sometimes even if you are married but without kids yet), road tripping (Gosh, those lovely vintage hippie vans!), camping, surfing. The “aussi beach life” you have seen in movies and have been dreaming of ever since but doubting that it was real IS THERE. In that particular area, the dreaming begins, and spreads up north to Queensland´s Golden Cost, Sunshine Coast and all the way up Cairns. This is what you want to live!

This easternmost part of Australia is a perfect location for those who like alternative healing, yoga, permaculture, eco-friendly projects and the new trends such as upcycling.

There is a great number of freelancers and day labourers in the area whose idea of good life is not represented by a nine to five job, and who prefer time on their hands over being arrivistes.

As a traveller, you find a great number of couchsurfing hosts, airbnbs, as well as affordable and cool hostels some of which offer free accommodation to backpackers (and a bicycle to get around) in exchange for easy work of a few hours per week.

You can have your lunch or dinner for circa ten dollars in Beloporto Burger Bar or choose a fancy place such as Treehouse on Belongil if you are willing to pay double the price.

Walking down and up the main Jonson street you see many cute and cool shops (such as the Rainbow shop) where you can buy anything from healing crystals to crocodile leather bracelets, tie-dyed clothes and fleece jewellery.

If you are keen on organic and bio products, you can do your shopping for food at Fundies´, and if you are on budget you can get your stuff at Woolie´s.

If you are a wealthy (Or should I say slightly posh?), alternative-keen yet peace-and-quiet lover who does not need their house located right at the beach, you might prefer staying at Bangalow, “a unique, historic town with a modern style” (as it claims on the town web page) rather than Byron. It is located just about 16 km away from Byron, on the way to the World Heritage-listed rainforests and green valleys of the Byron Bay Hinterland.

Indeed, the Byron Bay Hinterland is a largely explored gem for visitors to the Northern River’s Region which offers sub-tropical rainforest walks and spectacular scenic views as well as numerous local villages with cool little pubs and cafes. I myself enjoyed a hike to the Minyon Falls and Protesters Falls, both located in the Nightcap National Park, which contains many ancient sites of cultural significance, including ceremonial and sacred sites that are still used by local Aboriginal people today.

From the top of the Minyon Falls you get some marvellous landscape views and you might take your chances, climb over the fencing and dive into the deep swimming holes and pools that are created naturally on the river stream which falls over the precipitous rock face just a few metres away from where you might be bathing.

Now, if you get close enough to the local people, they might share a few stories with you that are generally not narrated to strangers… like the one of the Aboriginal women and kids committing a mass suicide at these falls – by literally walking over the rock face – when the Aboriginal men were slaughtered in hundreds by the non-Aboriginal incomers. Thus the energy of the place might be perceived to the sensitive ones as spectacular, yet heavy and dense though it has been diluted by the flow of time and many tourists coming in…

The hike to Protestors Falls was another great one, leading through lush rainforest to a tall, wispy waterfall. As you walk along this easy track, you’ll notice how subtropical bangalow palms and native tamarind give way to towering rainforest giants of yellow carabeen and strangler figs. You can hear the call of the rose-crowned fruit dove and the barred cuckoo-shrike and encounter a range of endangered frogs, including the threatened Fleay’s barred frog and pouched frog.

Aboriginal elders will tell you that the land has been a sacred healing ground for well unto 20,000 years. Perhaps this is why many claim it to be the spiritual heart of Australia. Geo-physically the land is traversed by massive veins of obsidian crystal and at the vortex of energy lines that run around the planet. Many people are drawn to Byron to initiate change, coming in search of their Australian version of Eat, Pray, Love. It undoubtedly is a transformative place…

Paradoxically, though, the history of the area is coarse and gloomy, spiritually burdensome. The place started out its Anglo-Saxon version of life as an antithesis of spiritual healing – through the genocide of the native people. The land was then steadily plundered as its cedar forests were ripped out for farms. Later, the gold miners moved in causing dreadful erosion to the beaches. By the mid of the 20th century it had become the main whaling station in Australia. The stench was said to be unbearable.

Just in the late 60´s Californian surfers started discovering the magnificence of the place. By the 1970’s the hippies began to move in. The turning point was marked by the Aquarius Festival (counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students) held in Nimbin in 1973.

Today, Byron hosts a great number of music, arts and healing festivals throughout the year. It offers something for everyone, whether it is a physical adventure such as learning to surf at Wategos (among the best beaches in the world for beginner surfers), kayaking with dolphins, hang gliding, horse riding along the 7 mile beach stretch or perhaps just taking advantage of the many spas and retreats in the area.

Byron Bay truly is a transmogrifying, magical place with an indefinable quality about it…

To conclude, here are five things worth knowing about Byron before you go there:

About 65% of the world´s production of Macadamia nuts comes from the area of the Northern Rivers.

Drug experimenting, whether it includes plant medicines or synthetic drugs of various kinds, is common in the area.

Byron Bay lighthouse gives you a chance to take some breathtaking pictures thanks to its location high on the cliffs and the 360-degree view. Dusk is a special time to visit – you can enjoy the subtle light changes accompanied by raucous birdcalls rolling over the cliffs. If you are reluctant to pay the 8 dollar parking fee, just park your car half-way up the hill or below the hill and enjoy the walk up.

Located in the Byron Bay Hinterland, there is the amazing Crystal Castle. This tranquil and magical sanctuary is a home of the world’s largest and most beautiful natural crystals. With its peaceful ambiance and exquisite natural splendour, it is a place of great energy and wonder crowned by the World Peace Stupa blessed by the Dalai Lama. You can be immersed in the magic of the Enchanted Cave (the largest amethyst cave in the world), or perceive the healing energy of the world’s tallest geode pair – The Crystal Guardians. You can find yourself in an ancient labyrinth, try out the Buddha Walk or listen to the whispers of the trees in the bamboo avenue. There are daily workshops offered, including sound healing ceremonies and the famous Peace Experience, which includes a crystal bowl sound bath.

The Main Beach is a place where you want to go, especially at sunsets. There is always something going on, from mantra drawing to full moon meditations and shamanic drum circles and dancing. If you are ready to drum, dance or observe the moment unfold, don’t miss out on the drumming sessions that take place at the Main Beach carpark at sundown every day. They are open for anyone to get involved, connect with others and maybe feel like you’ve finally come home…

]]>http://martinadolezalova.cz/byron-bay-hippie-hippie-shake/feed/0All You Need is Love – How I Dined with The Twelve Tribeshttp://martinadolezalova.cz/all-you-need-is-love-how-i-dined-with-the-twelve-tribes/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/all-you-need-is-love-how-i-dined-with-the-twelve-tribes/#respondTue, 27 Nov 2018 07:42:13 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=1002I came to Australia for various reasons, but as I know now, one of them was to connect myself with the shamanic, Aboriginal spirit that pervades the country.

Wanting to follow the healing paths of the ancient tribes, I found myself one day in a van with three other volunteers (totally illegal in Australia to have four, not just three people in a van) from the yoga centre in Wentworth Falls, all ladies, Angie, a truly inspiring character, driving while dancing and singing to the Latin-American music that was playing loud in the car and the rest of us joining in, as we were heading to the complex of Jenolan Caves where the Aboriginal people used to heal their sick in the miraculous waters of the cave system and the Blue Lake (DUMBIDUMBI), fed by 4 rivers flowing through the mountain.

For thousands of years, Aboriginal people came to Jenolan Caves to bathe in the pools of Nadyung (healing waters) though a visit to these ofteninvolved a long journey from homelands. They penetrated the caves as far as the subterranean water, carrying their sick to be bathed in the water, which they believed to have great curative powers as it contains dissolved minerals.

Aboriginal people drank the waters for stomach ailments. After bathing, skin complaints would disappear. Some also believed that the crystals in the caves themselves possessed healing powers, especially for spiritual wellbeing (much the same is believed today by many non-Aboriginal people) and were used in men-only ceremonies (water itself in the Aboriginal culture is considered a female element).

I was sure that our “healing quest” as I called it, would be blessed in all respects. And it was. Not only did we get away with being four of us in the van, but we also encountered friendly wallabies on the way who would let me take selfies with them and pat them. We dipped our legs into the healing Blue Lake without being harmed by or harming the platypus species living there and then got a proper cleansing bathe (all naked) in the falls below the lake.

The healing quest in search of the ancestral connection to the native people turned out to be a deep spiritual journey to the higher self as we experienced the ritual bathing and cleansing as a reminiscence of the healing rituals of the Aboriginal people.

We also visited one of the caves and our guide was splendid and allowed me to put my healing crystals and my mala for a short while into the cave waters.

A day later there was a regular drum circle happening in the yoga retreat centre. All of us four ladies were present and the atmosphere was amazing. I believe it was due to the fact that we were charged with the boosting energy from the caves. When the circle got to the point of producing sounds, I spontaneously started singing “Love, love, love” repetitively, yes that very melody from the renowned The Beatles song and it felt damn good as people were joining in with their sounds, all of which climaxed to an amazing rhythmical chant.

As I was standing in the circle, listening to the music we were creating together, I felt lifted and grounded at the same time and there was so much love swirling in my heart, and I made a very special decision: to go and dine with the people from The Yellow Deli (yes, the Twelve Tribes), mentioned in one of my previous articles here.

I liked the staff in the café in Katoomba, I liked the café itself, I loved the food, and when I met Himanschu (an intriguing man with Indian roots who would sometimes come and help with various things at the yoga centre) who once volunteered in the café and became a friend to the people in The Yellow Deli, I was very much inclined to go their Friday evening Sabbath celebrations, just to observe, perceive and make up my own mind about things rather than read all that creepy stuff on the internet, be prejudiced and judgemental. Himanschu spoke about those people with such a genuine feel (mentioning how they were all about unconditional love rather than anything else and how they helped him a few times) that he truly got me interested. And the drum circle moment nailed the decision for me – just like that, out of nowhere.

So, on a Friday evening after the free-of-charge Iyengar try-out class in Katoomba I found myself strolling down Bathurst Road in the rain towards Balmoral House with two of my friends from the yoga centre. We were not bringing anything, but ourselves, as we were instructed. After we rang the doorbell, the door was opened by Shelem, a middle-aged, smiling, kind woman, who I shall never forget as I truly value her and appreciate her as a person.

We were led – through a clean, quint, big house – to a large living room connected with the dining hall, where there was live music playing, where there was dancing happening and were people greeted us by a hand-shake or a smile, offering us the most amazing fresh juice I ever drank. Everything had a slightly rustic, vintage, time-honoured touch, the furniture, the clothes of the people, their headbands, their folk-like dance in circles and their traditional songs of worship whose lyrics swirled around Jashua and Israel.

My friends and I were invited to try the dance too, which we did – but the steps seemed rather complicated for me. After a while the music and the dance gave space to testimonies, whoever wanted to speak, spoke. Maybe I was lucky to be in a good group, don´t know, but seriously, the things those people mentioned in their testimonies seemed alright to me and refined and sincere too.

Afterwards, all the guests were introduced (and there were quite a few of us actually that night) and we were seated by three big massive wooden tables, my friends and I all at the same one with three nice ladies who kept us company for the evening and a gentleman, a husband of one of them. A grilled fish was served with veggies, preceded by bread (which I normally don’t eat much, but this one was awesome) and butter and followed by carob and peanut bliss balls served with dandelion tea, all home-made and delicious (actually, those balls were the best I´ve ever had and my passion for them as well as for the tea must have been obvious, since Shelem gave me some of both to take with me as I was leaving).

Now, the group has faced global criticism for its views on race, homosexuality and child discipline teachings. I don’t know what is happening inside the group, hidden from the eyes of the outsiders. But I am not here to judge. I went to the dinner to simply see a bit for myself and ask questions. All of which were answered. With sincerity and to my satisfaction. There were no prevarications, no equivocations. All I felt when talking to those people was love. Unconditional. Perhaps our believes are different, our lifestyles certainly are, but what we had in common and what was most important for me to leave with a smile on my face, appreciation and thankfulness, was the genuine love for the world and its beings which was pervasive. That was enough for me as a visitor.

To summarize simply my one evening experience in the Balmore house, I will go with one thing I have seen written down by a woman from this community: “One Day it dawned on me that He was a Spirit and that He desired a body to manifest His love through. I stared into His face reflected in the faces of those in the circle around me. He was expressing His love in a tangible way through them.”

As my friends and I were leaving the place (driven back to the yoga centre by one of the gents as it was raining cats and dogs and the fog was as thick as it can often be in Katoomba), we felt loved and loving.

Even though I would not be able to give up my way of life for the one they share, and I don’t even want to, I wish goodness and blessings to these people. And I don’t care what the media say. The media can make a jerk out of anyone. I would rather experience for myself than go with what google said…

Last but not least in this text packed with healing and love:

I have a dream… I have a dream that one day everyone understands that we are all connected… that one makes no sense without the other… I have a dream that one day there shall be no hatred, no feeling of injustice, no genocides… I may well be naive but there are miracles happening… like the one I saw as I walked into the Newtown, Sydney Community Centre – there was an apology recently displayed, an apology to the Aboriginal people of the country for all the hardships and genocides that have been wrought by the non-Aboriginal people of the country. Harm WAS done… but it might as well breed compassion and love into the present instead of more pain and fear. The dreaming IS rising, through the world connecting, not parting. May we self-heal through healing the world around us. Each realisation of “the man in the mirror“ counts…

]]>http://martinadolezalova.cz/all-you-need-is-love-how-i-dined-with-the-twelve-tribes/feed/0Sydney – How I Danced to the Aboriginal Music and Practised Yoga in front of the Operahttp://martinadolezalova.cz/sydney-how-i-danced-to-the-aboriginal-music-and-practised-yoga-in-front-of-the-opera/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/sydney-how-i-danced-to-the-aboriginal-music-and-practised-yoga-in-front-of-the-opera/#respondMon, 29 Oct 2018 08:42:16 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=977Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and Oceania of about five million Sydneysiders. It remains one of the richest areas in Australia in terms of Aboriginal archaeological sites – no wonder, since indigenous Australians have inhabited the Sydney area for at least 30,000 years. Their spirit is tangible everywhere and it would be silly to try to deny that.

I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful chef who owns Mindful Cooking (www.mindfulcooking.com.au), Lina, in the Blue Mountains yoga retreat centre where I am currently staying. She invited me for a visit in her cosy apartment in the centre of Sydney, just a half hour walk from the renowned Opera.

We spent a wonderful day on the Bondi Beach, a popular beach in a Sydney suburb, located 7 km east of the Sydney central business district. I tried out the freezing cold ocean and struggled to stay swimming within the boundaries of the two flags (typical for Australia, as everywhere else there would be surfers) since the waves were extremely strong. No wonder; the Aboriginal word “Boondi“ means water breaking over rocks. The waters here are wild!

I repeatedly got the coastguards following me asking me to kindly stay within the two flags. When I said that I am trying to but the waters keep carrying me away, they APOLOGIZED! Later that afternoon a storm was about to break down over Sydney, a tough, heavy storm, almost summer-like one. The sky was grey dark and streaked by flashes. The coastguards drove their quad car along the beach RECOMMENDING the surfers to come ashore as the storm could be dangerous for them. That is Australia too!

I loved the atmosphere of the Bondi Beach, the stylish restaurant The Bucket List (a notoriously well-known meeting point), the cool graffiti street art (with no tags anywhere, but wonderful murals), the vegan markets everywhere and the overall kindness with which some stalls would offer people to use their blankets for picnics, some restaurants would have places designated for dogs where there was water and granules, and the mingling of hipsters, backpackers, barefoot boho hippies, surfers walking in their wet suits and with their boards, barefoot and travellers with neatly dressed business people and those dressed in the latest designers clothes.

Driving to Lina´s apartment, she suddenly had a wonderful idea to stop by the Centennial Park and take a little walk there. Not only did I thus get to experience the wonderful atmosphere of the Sydney parks, but I also spent some time by a massive fig tree whose energy was amazing, and eventually the spontaneous walk brought us all the way to a place where Acro Jam (acro yoga enthusiasts, if you are in Sydney, check out their Facebook profile, lots of fun and learning FOR FREE) were practising acro yoga. Shy as I can be, I would not dare disturb the wonderful picnic-like and circus-like atmosphere, but Lina realized how much I wanted to practise and just spoke with one man of the group whom she happened to know – seems to me that Lina knows a half of Sydney, there was not a single place where we would go and where nobody would run over to her to give her a hug and a warm greeting. I ended up doing some crazy things that afternoon (see my video section if you like) and the day after and basically now I would spend most of my free days (mainly Sundays) in Sydney with those people, the loving and loveable leader of the group, Duncan, the slackline instructor who amazes you with his focus and wisdom, Jeffrey, and the enigmatic and almost literary-like character as his name has predestined him to be, Tristan who gave me a special experience once driving me on his skateboard (I was sitting at the very front with my bag and he was standing and riding behind me, managing well to balance that crazy crew) through the beach promenade and The Corso (see below). There are many more people in the group, but these three souls I found an immediate connection with and I claim it so that Duncan is an angel who once came to his god and said: “You know, I would like to try it out down on the earth at some point…” And thus he came to this world…

We mostly practise on Shelly beach, which can be reached by a ferry going from Circular Quay (the train station by the Opera) and is a part of the local transport system, so on Sundays it is included in the 2.70 AUD fee for the whole day travelling. It takes less than a half hour (unless you decide to go by the much more expensive fast ferry) and brings you to the Manly Wharf from which you then walk down The Corso towards the Manly beach and then a stroll along the shore promenade (where there are public toilets and potable water fountains) brings you to this small and cute Shelly beach which I totally fell in love with as you can snorkel and swim there easily, while the surfers would be enjoying their practise on Manly or higher up from Shelly, under the cliffs that rise above the beach and where you can take a walk to admire the viewpoints overlooking Sydney beaches, sailing boats, surfers, and the buildings of the city on the horizon.

There are various things happening on the beach, from BBQs and picnics to slackline walking, juggling, yoga practising, hiking up the cliffs and just chilling out. Tourists who make it all the way there to discover more than just the Opera House mingle with the locals and the place has got amazing luxuriant vibes. For me, it is one of the greatest thrills in Sydney and I love The Corso with all the street artists too and the promenade (accessible also for wheelchairs) where there are always dozens of friendly and harmless bearded dragon lizards basking in the sun on the rocks along the pavement who seem happy to be taken pictures of.

But then, of course, the city centre is also beautiful. My favourite walk is going through Hyde Park, passing the Sydney Tower Eye, stopping in the Art Gallery of New South Wales to let art speak to me and to get a tea and continuing down to Mrs. Macquaries Rd. and Woolloomoolloo Bay, along the army bases and Waldorf Woolloomooloo Waters Apartments (yes, it is those of which the Australian star Russell Crowe owns several – and actually recently has sold two of them to Sam Barnett) and then up the Botanic gardens and to the Opera House (where I once practised my headstands for fun to the great thrill of some Chinese tourists who forgot about taking pictures of the architectonical gem and instead were filming me as I found out later when they clapped their hands at the end of my practice).

When Prince Harry and his wife were in Sydney and the Invictus Games were happening at the same time (an international adaptive multi-sport event, created by Prince Harry, in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans take part in sports) the place got packed, but – surprisingly, crowds of tourists can usually only be encountered around the Opera, otherwise the metropole does not seem to be too active and busy. Its laid-back, calm and calming atmosphere is ubiquitous and pervasive. I love sitting on the roof of the Museum of Sydney or the State Library of NSW (where there are always cool exhibitions going on), drinking the Young Henrys Cloudy Cider (produced in Newtown Sydney), watching the sailing boats under the Harbour Bridge. It gives me great feeling of peace and tranquillity.

What I also like to do is just walking around the shops near the Opera (My favourite, of course, is the corner Ugg shop, where I have recently bout a pair of winter shoes in sales – the price dropped down from 450 AUD to 120!) and watching the Aboriginal street artists perform. I got acquainted with several of them by now. And it all happened thanks to Lina again… this shining woman with Moroccan roots has had some miraculous effects on my life…

When she was showing me around Sydney we got to the Circular Quay Wharf area where there are many Aboriginal people performing (mostly didgeridoo playing, sometimes with “urban black” reproduced music added as well as chants). One of them was dressed and painted all over in the traditional way. His music spoke directly to my heart and all of a sudden I found myself dancing with my eyes closed. I don´t know how long it lasted for but then the music stopped and I felt as if in a dream. Lina and I left some money for the artist and were heading off when he called out at me: “Thank you for your energy.” It felt like a blessing to me.

Another time I walked back to listen to his music and he recognized me and said he remembered me dancing and my energy. I left a contact for me and we will see how far he and his people will allow me to go in discovering their culture and spirit…

I feel a funny strange connection to those people who even came to my visions and dreams a few times before and after arriving to this country. They are mostly assimilated and integrated into the Australian society by now, most of them went to Australians schools, often, they have English names. But when you want to talk to them about the past, they become uneasy, solemn and detached. There was too much blood shed and the truth is I often feel the heaviness and sadness of the history laid upon the country, especially in some areas of the Blue Mountains; not so much in Sydney as the energy is diluted by all the tourists coming and leaving…

I could speak about Sydney for long, since this town has really become close to me, but I will just finish off by mentioning two “must-see” places: the hipster-like Newton (where you, among else, find the wonderful Lentils´- Lentil As Anything – a unique pay-as-you-feel vegan restaurant „committed to feeding and connecting the community, and encouraging environmental sustainability“) with its many art shops and cool cafés and the bohemian Chippendale where you should give a try to The Lansdowne Hotel. It’s a neon-lit three-storey art deco hotel on the corner of Broadway and City Road, overlooking Victoria Park, which is always open when everything else is closed. It’s smeared and coarse, and the clientele are oscillating in between artistic and scruffy, and it has been beloved by every University of Sydney (situated nearby) student and every eccentric for well over a hundred years (it opened in 1932). There are bands playing (often for free) even on Sunday evenings when most other places would be respecting the “family day” and the city nightlife would otherwise have a deadened atmosphere.

Another cool area is Glebe, nestled between two universities, a home to an eclectic community of students, academics, activists and new-agers. You’ll hear them discussing everything from chakras to Che Guevara in its casual eateries, bookstores and pocket-sized bars, the favourite of which for me would be the B.E.D. Bar which has got beers and wines for 6 AUD, great live music and amazing chamber-like atmosphere and where, once upon a time, I sang my beloved Stand by me during a memorable jazz and blues open jam night…

]]>http://martinadolezalova.cz/sydney-how-i-danced-to-the-aboriginal-music-and-practised-yoga-in-front-of-the-opera/feed/0How I Found Bali in the Blue Mountains and a Café Run by The Twelve Tribeshttp://martinadolezalova.cz/how-i-found-bali-in-the-blue-mountains-and-a-cafe-run-by-the-twelve-tribes/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/how-i-found-bali-in-the-blue-mountains-and-a-cafe-run-by-the-twelve-tribes/#respondMon, 22 Oct 2018 08:16:23 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=956When you travel the world you usually have a reason for that. Some travellers claim they travel without a cause, simply because there is nothing else they would want to do or because they know not what else to do. Some travel for the thrill of the unknown. For some travel is a form of an escape. Some travel because they want things in their life to change.

Blame it on the Eat, Pray, Love and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants that some travel in the hope of finding their soulmate.

As I am starting to understand things in my own life through the people I meet on my travels, especially in the yoga centres where I stay; my reason to travel was a combination of phenomena initially, but truly there is only one cause: to see which path of life I actually want to walk in the near future. I might end up in the Amazon, joining my sister and her fellow shamans, I might come back to my bohemian and arty life in Prague, or I might find a way in between.

I listen to all the stories people are willing to share with me on my travels, I hear about screwed family relationships, unsettled, unhappy partnerships, self-harming, lack of self-dignity, miscarriages, rapes, childhood traumas, dramatic divorces and I think: “The world needs healing. But does it actually want it?”

I take long walks, often alone, in the mountains here, looking at the undulating landscape from the many lookouts, and I get tears in my eyes often for no apparent reason. Perhaps caused by the beauty around. Perhaps by the feeling of unconditional gratefulness. Perhaps by some inexpressible degree of deeply rooted sadness, knowing that the place has been missing the Aboriginals.

I spend most of my free time hiking. I love the many waterfalls and streams in the mountains here and I even accepted the rain by now as my travel companion. It was with me in Thailand, it is with me now, here in Australia. If I don’t get wet jumping into a waterfall, I get wet in the rain.

The train system here in the Blue Mountains is amazing (though the trains are not very frequent and you can forget about charging sockets or garbage bins on the trains) and can help you get closer to locations where there are great trails. My favourite is probably the National Pass around Wentworth Falls and the Three Sisters – Echo Point Lookout with the Scenic Railway Trail. One of my favourite falls in the area is the Empress Falls you can easily jump into, renowned among those who love canyoning.

Nature here is stunning with all the lookouts, streams and pristine waterfalls and the many birds you encounter, such as parrots, white cockatoos, yellow-tailed black cockatoos, laughing kookaburras, lyrebirds, and also blue-tongued lizards and possums running around gaily, freely.

There are many beautiful small mountain towns too, such as Leura (great when the art markets are taking place and surely splendid any time if you love local craft shops and cafés; certainly try out Gourmet Café and Deli in the main street with its stunning lookout, lovely food and great chai latté) or Katoomba (some would claim that it has got “Twin Peaks vibes”, but I have never seen that series or movies so I would not know, to me, it is a small town surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Mountains, seemingly populated by busloads of camera-clutching tourists and backpackers) with its many OP shops, antique shops and the Street Art Walk, “dynamic, community-driven cultural treasure of the Blue Mountains, created by Street Art Murals Australia“, where you find amazing murals painted on houses and where you can admire art in one of its contemporary forms and expression.

It was in Leura, where I happened to discover “the touch of Bali”, in an Ikou shop. Ikou is a brand of cosmetic and wellbeing products, founded by Naomi & Paul Whitfeld who have created this brand to inspire health and happiness. Their “journey” began in a flower petal bath in Ubud, Bali which inspired them to create a brand that encourages daily rituals to bring the feel of relaxation and restoration into everyday life. The essential oils, diffusers and body and face cosmetic products you find in the shop will truly make you feel somehow beautified and special. When you enter, you are offered a cup (obviously recyclable material) of tea (obviously organic) and you can freely browse through all the cruelty-free and eco-friendly items made of or from local Blue Mountains ingredients.

It was in Katoomba, where I almost fell in love with The Yellow Deli café. Now, honestly, I did not know when I walked into The Yellow Deli that it is owned and operated by the Twelve Tribes. Had I known it, though, I would have still given the café a try, since it was packed with people of various backgrounds who were happily eating their meals outside and inside the place.

When I saw the amazing cakes and cookies and sandwiches (served with pickles and home-made potato crisps) they were serving there as well as the wooden, quint looking and cosy interior with a fireplace and big crafted lamps, I was immediately determined to have my lunch there. I was a little surprised by the modestly dressed waitresses with harem pants on, no make-up on and long braids trailing down their back, as well as the waiters in their flannel shirts and jeans (most of whom had long hair too), but I thought it is some hipster, highbrow way of keeping a gourmet place low-looking so that it would attract the intellectuals of various backgrounds and would not seem accessible only to the posh and snobbish clientele.

The delicious, artisanal, home-cooked food, the interior with a Middle Earth feel to it, the broad smiles of the staff and their friendliness can easily win your heart. The manager was quite open when he spoke about the community as I was paying and he even told me about the Friday evening dinners with circle dances and live music. Who knows, perhaps I will be joining one of those for “observe and do not judge” purposes.

]]>http://martinadolezalova.cz/how-i-found-bali-in-the-blue-mountains-and-a-cafe-run-by-the-twelve-tribes/feed/0Australia – When the Sky Kept Cryinghttp://martinadolezalova.cz/australia-when-the-sky-kept-crying/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/australia-when-the-sky-kept-crying/#respondWed, 17 Oct 2018 09:08:39 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=935When you travel, you tend to post cool pics and videos on Facebook and Instagram and your friends might get the impression that travelling is just a lot of fun. It can be – at times. The truth is, though, there are moments when you feel vulnerable, broken, hopeless and homesick. They mostly arrive when you get some health issue or when you feel that certain country simply does not comply with your energy or expectations.

I thought that Australia would be a golden path of amazement for me. A reward for my hard spiritual work in Bali and in Thailand. I thought it is a warm country with wonderful, warm, dry and sunshiny climate, welcoming atmosphere and chill-out ambiance where people´s only worry is which surfing board they should use on a particular day for their surfing adventure.

I thought it is a country of great system.

I thought it will receive me with arms wide open… like the first settlement of British prisoners who arrived here to start up a new life. Because at any point of our lives we can start anew and get things right!

I thought the energy of it would breathe with the wisdom and depth of the native Aboriginal settlement and that there would be traces of the ancestral connection simply everywhere.

I was naïve.

When I lived in England, I struggled to get connected with the country. My first weeks in Australia were a great struggle too… Australia reminds me of England in so many respects… they have things in common these countries… like driving on the left, “mind the gap” on the metro, the Queen on the banknotes and coins, Woolworths, Marmite (OK, it is Vegemite here) and so much more.

And the spring here (I should say rather winter time, with circa 10 degrees Celsius and rows of rainy days) up in the National Park of the Blue Mountains is more like autumn in Britain! An hour of sunshine once in four days feels like a gift!

Alright, being in a mountain yoga retreat centre with fireplaces, a heater in your room, beautiful views all around, plenty of books in the hotel library and various teas in the pantry, you might not mind the weather, except that you cannot really lock yourself in seclusion but have to go out and do things. And I WANT to go out and do things!

But, let me start from the very beginning…

Arriving to Sydney airport from Bangkok – a little more than two weeks ago – things felt just fine. The staff was very kind helping me to find the way to the trains, giving me advice on buying the Opal train card, helping me find the right platform at the Central Train Station for the Blue Mountain line. People on the trains seemed nice, smiling, advising me on which trails to take in the Blue Mountains to enjoy my hiking times. I was sure (though tired after the long flight with almost no night-sleep) that Australia would be just great and the sunshine of the day helped me feel good, though I was shivering on the train due to physical exhaustion, air conditioning (so strong and cold) and the outside temperature (19 degrees on that lucky day) was a drop by 15 degrees for me compared to Thailand.

I was already writing an article in my mind that would go on my blog saying how wonderful Australia was with all the smiling happy people around, especially when, after my arrival to Wentworth Falls, a girl at the convenience store helped me out to get connected with the managers from the place where I am staying. I only had my Czech sim card and a phone call to the centre would have cost me a lot of money, even if I just wanted to announce that I am at the train station and could someone please come and pick me up and give me (and my heavy suitcase) a lift to the resort. In Thailand or Bali there is wifi everywhere that you can use freely, just asking the staff for the wifi password. In Australia, this is not common. You go to a hospital, a clinic and ask for their wifi password and they won´t give it to you, instead will look at you as if you have just demanded the password to their internet banking. You ask for a wifi connection in a shop and they tell you they have got none, only data on their phones. You ask them if they use Whatsapp and they admit they don´t know what it is!

So, this girl simply picked up the landline phone and called to the retreat centre to say I am waiting in her store for someone to pick me up. That was truly nice of her, especially since she has done it free of charge and with a lovely smile. OK, generally, people here are really, really nice and helpful. Far be it from me to try to deny that.

One of the four people who run the place here has driven me to the resort and after showing me around the beautiful hotel, he took me to the Palace where there live all the volunteers who help with the retreats. That was when I got my first shock. The Palace housed at that moment circa 13 young adventurers by circa 13 years younger than me – and was as messy as you could only imagine, with various trifles, dirty clothes and dishes lying around in the living rooms, with kitchen filled with unwashed dishes and filthy tables, with the laundry room packed with unwashed and unidentifiable clothes, with chickens running everywhere by the pool, gaily, freely. Real community life one would say. Real mess I would assume. Being as neat as I tend to be due to all the energetic work I do (and the upbringing and education I received), I wanted to cry… the question on my mind was: “What am I doing here, dear universe, why do you want me here?”

I spent the afternoon cleaning the room that was given to me, where there were pieces of broken mirror everywhere, abandoned dirty knickers, half-empty water bottles, crumpled tissues and a heap of beddings (nobody probably used for some time) on the sofa. The room was called Harmony! A great paradox, as it was in this very room that I got to experience sleepless nights filled with tears and itching as on the second day upon my arrival small itchy bites started appearing on my body.

God knows what bugs or mites have caused them (and where they came from) as nothing was found in the room, even by the pesticide man (disinfestation man), who came to treat the room, except for one unidentifiable small dead beetle with mandibles. After the treatment of the room I repeatedly had to wash and tumble dry all my clothes so I kept running in between the yoga teachings, roster duties (checking the guests in, helping with breakfast preparation, sometimes cleaning up or housekeeping) and the laundry, while scratching my harmed body. Tough and heavy for my mental and spiritual balance. Especially when two people living in the Palace told me independently that Harmony is a “cursed room”. Thank you very much, that helped!

I started freaking out every time a new pimple would occur. Sometimes the old ones would reappear. I would wake up at nights to check what is on my bed – and there was nothing!

In my home country, I could go straight to a skin specialist (free of charge) to see into the issue. In Australia, the system first takes you through a pharmacist check-up (good for nothing in my case, just got a steroidal ointment) to a GP check-up (66 Australian dollars spent on an incorrect diagnosis and 15 on an ointment which only irritated my skin more) and finally, getting a letter of recommendation from a GP, you are allowed to go to a specialist, in my case an Indian-born dermatologist about an hour and a half away from the place where I am staying (a train or a car ride) who looked at me and for 200 dollars told me that I must have gotten some bites by bugs/mites (that he could not identify) initially, but that now (as the room got treated and I changed rooms anyway) my immune system is just reacting to the bites… I got another steroidal ointment and was told to enjoy my stay in Australia!

Now I live in a room that is called Serenity and though it is a tiny simple one, especially compared to the big and richly furnished Harmony, I am fond of it. The skin irritation issue is settling down and the house is gradually becoming tidier as the crew keeps changing and some people do like tidiness as much as they like community life and would simply go and clean up after others in their free time without needing to mention a thing.

Since the weather outside had been cold and rainy (except for a few dry and sometimes sunny mornings or afternoons when I immediately get out to go hiking or take a quick adrenalin bath in the freezing cold waterfalls), and it has evidently affected not only my mood, the managers bought a lot of wood for us to use in the fireplaces in the Palace so that the house gains inner warmth which I associate with the warmth of heart, home and cordiality.

The four people managing the place have given me so much love, care and support during the dealing with the whole health issue and I feel grateful and thankful to them. And generally, as mentioned before, Australian people are very kind and helpful. I was just sitting on a bench the other day in a shopping mall thinking what I need to arrange next when an elderly lady started talking to me, a small yet warm-hearted talk at the end of which she wished me a great stay and “god bless you”. It felt like meeting an angel. Well, as I believe in them, she might as well have been one.

Another time, I was asking a security guard at a train station for help with finding the train schedules when he and his colleague not only got me a booklet of those but also explained to me everything about the Opal app and how to use it and advised me to do most of my travelling on Sunday as it is the “family day”, so cheap train rides.

Yet another day, I had a craving for a freshly made sandwich after a hike near the town of Katoomba when my steps led me to The Yellow Deli – amazing food: in fact, so amazing that you forget the place is openly run by a cult… more on that another time… but yes, the people there – again – are lovely.

The only times I could not feel any warmth in the acting of the people here was at the clinics (for some reason the kindness there is just a duty and you feel it, it is not honest at all) and at the local post office in Wentworth Falls…

To start with… they have two types of postcards here: one usual type, and then a special type which includes local and international postage, so you don’t need to buy a stamp for it. A postcard would cost about a dollar, a postcard including postage would cost something over two. A stamp to most international locations would be about three dollars. Thus buying a common postcard and a stamp would cost you about 4 dollars; double the price of the postcard that includes the postage. Isn’t that ridiculous? Isn´t? Then let me continue…

I bought 4 cards upon my arrival to send to friends, three included postage, one did not. However, the woman at the post office sold me four stamps for those, not knowing herself – or not mentioning – that I do not need three of the stamps, so I glued them onto the cards. For some ridiculous reason, though I had told the woman where the postcards would go, she sold me three 3-dollar stamps and one 2.30-stamp which could not be used for any of my desired destinations as I found out later. The next day I arrived to the post office and there was a man who postmarked the cards without noticing that one of the stamps was of a lower value. When I told him, he took out three 20-cent stamps and placed them over my signature and a part of the writing on the postcard! When I told him that a 10-cent stamp was still missing, he looked at me as if I was a Nazi officer. I shrugged my shoulders, paid 70 cents and left the postcards (including the one lacking the 10-cent stamp) at the post office only to come back a few minutes later realizing that I need to send more cards. So I picked a few cards and went to pay for them and get the stamps for them. This time, there was another woman. She looked at my cards and said: “You don´t need that many stamps, most of these include postage.”

So I told her about the other cards that I have just left at the office… she looked at me and said: “Sorry about that.” in a tone and with a facial expression which lacked any trace of sorrow.

“I want my cards back.”

She brought them for me with an annoyed expression.

I spent the evening undoing the stamps on the postcards that included postage – over a pot of hot boiling water that was producing steam (a trick somebody must have told me about at some point in my life) – and gluing them onto the ones that did not.

The next day I went to the post office again to find the woman there who was present the first time I arrived. I explained to her everything, showed her the cards that still carried traces of the glue and bits of stamps, showed her the already postmarked stamps re-glued onto the other cards. She nonchalantly took them all, threw them to a “to-be-posted” pack and asked: “Do you want a refund?” Can you understand that? She asked me once all the stamps were re-glued… as if the woman the previous day could not have offered the same, sparing me all that effort and trouble…

I think I don’t want to see an Australian post office for the rest of my life… or at least a long while…

Another bizarre story came along as I tried to obtain my Australian sim card. I opted for a Vodafone start up pack as I mostly needed a lot of data since the wifi here in the mountains is not very good. They have a special offer of 40GB, 150 free mins of international calls and unlimited texts and calls within Australia for 25 dollars, including the card. I bought it online to avoid going to a Vodafone store; the nearest one is about an hour and a half away from here and the return train ride costs more than a half the price of the package. I was supposed to have my card delivered within two days. It arrived on the fourth, due to bad weather!

When trying to activate my card, all efforts failed. I simply could not do it online, myself. So, a friend of mine let me use her phone with an Australian card to call the customer line. A 50-min long phone call with a person who could barely speak English and to whom I repeated my email address probably seven or eight times, who asked whether my date of birth was 23/1/2018 and thought that the Czech republic was in Russia I was told that they cannot activate my card either because the validation of my passport failed. They advised me, as I complained and asked to speak to that person´s supervisor, to go to the nearest Vodafone store where they can see my ID and proceed with everything or to send a photo of my passport to the support service which was supposed to reply within 24 hours. They responded to my request in four days… and in the meantime I have settled the matter in the nearest Vodafone store… resigned and upset.

Those are the moments when you just want to grab a glass of good wine, close your eyes, feel the taste and forget and let go… but then we are not allowed to drink anything alcoholic here in the centre and as for Australia and obtaining alcohol, you cannot get even a beer or a cider in this country in a supermarket or a convenience store. Some bigger supermarkets would have the right to sell certain alcohol types, but basically you need to go to a specialized shop. Isn’t that a form of a prohibition in this country that everyone has referred about to me as free-spirited and hippie and boho-like? Anyway, I started drinking kombucha instead (yes, the great Australian certified product), deluding myself that it has also been fermented, it is bubbly and tastes almost like cider, but is cheaper (about 2 dollars per bottle in a supermarket, while it is about 5 for cider) and everybody considers it healthy.

Australia has thrown some crazy moments at me and I don’t understand why… what kind of an ordeal is it meant to be? Or is it just Consciousness at play?

I am surrounded by people here, yet unable somehow to connect deeply with anyone. The volunteers come and go in a few days, weeks. They just pass you by. There is no real touch, no depth.

Sometimes I get the sensation that I need the world more than it needs me. But then I understand that it needs me just as I need it, because we are one.

There are moments of genuine despair when I feel I just want to go back home to my family and friends, the people who have known me for so long and who are simply there, no matter what (I miss you, guys, badly) or go back to Thailand and its warmth, blueness and greenness and the beloved people I encountered there… but then, the volunteers would trigger off a drumming circle in the yoga shala and we would play and sing and shout and chant and dance, the Laughing Chef would arrive from Sydney to cook and would fill the kitchen with his strong and genuine laughter, Khan or Lina would come to share their passion for cooking with us and bless us with their food (like the vegan chocolate raw cake I will remember for long), Marco, one of the volunteers, would come around asking me “what is love, really” with so much curiosity that you feel the inner child in him and just want to give him a hug cause you sense the beauty of the enchanted, searching soul in him, Courtney, a yoga teacher, would make me a cup of her special spice and milk tea and would bring the lavender essential oil in a diffuser for me to use in my room, Martin and Marie, a French couple, would start speaking French with me (and just the sound of the language would give me a feeling of being caressed), Natalie (the wife of one of the managers) would come up with her wonderful smile and the sparkle in her eyes that shows great compassion, understanding, tenderness and care, Charu, the lady in charge of the Palace people, would join me on a walk and would get us Sam´s smoothie on the way back (one of the things that make me believe I can still fall in love with Australia), and the two managers, Athill and Ethan would look at me as if they knew, but were hoping that I would soon understand too, that I would remain patient and considerate and open to whatever I need to learn here… and at those moments, I feel I need to stay, because I am in the right place, at the right time… and perhaps Australia has plenty of pleasant surprises for me in store, but I just have to keep discovering them slowly, so that they resonate strongly with my vibes, so that the country wins me over step by step, not in an August-rush or a Saturday-night-fever style, but in a gradual, deep manner… let´s see…

]]>http://martinadolezalova.cz/australia-when-the-sky-kept-crying/feed/0Thailand, Goodbyehttp://martinadolezalova.cz/thailand-goodbye/
http://martinadolezalova.cz/thailand-goodbye/#respondMon, 01 Oct 2018 08:39:15 +0000http://martinadolezalova.cz/?p=852When I came to Thailand, I had no idea what it means to live in a monsoon time (that your clothes and glass case and nuts can go mouldy in a few days cause of the moist), what is 7-Eleven, Swensons, Family Mart, Tao Kae Noi, or Pad Thai and who was Bhumibol Adulyadej.

I didn’t know they basically do not use a knife here and most of the public toilets would not have a toilet paper.

None of the curries I had eaten in my life before were as spicy as the ones here, and I kept throwing ice away from my glass until I was explained that they BUY ICE here (so it is made of potable water: LINK).

When a friend of mine told me after her vacation in Thailand that she missed the street food vendors in Europe, I could not understand what she was talking about… Now I know I am going to miss them like nothing else! It is like a street food paradise here!

Thai people add „ka“ (ladies) or „krub“ (gents) to the end of every sentence just to be more polite they line up at the metro doors and unlike many Western people show a great respect to the leaders of their country, i.e. the Royal Family.

Also unlike Western people, Thai people seem happy and relaxed most of the time and adore white skin, high noses and small lips.

When I lost my phone in Bangkok (for the first time in my life losing anything important) and freaked out throwing all the stuff out of my bag, I immediately got about ten to fifteen people asking me how they can help! The police was right by my side to help too! Thanks to my incredible couchsurfing host, Dream, who (14 years younger than me) stayed cool, responsible and mature, we got my phone back alright (forgotten in a shopping mall when I was buying my favourite seaweed snack, found by some people in the shop and handed in at the information desk at „lost and found“). A great lesson for me in many respects and a great „thank you“ to Dream for staying calm and reasonable yet acting out dynamically.

I could (and perhaps one day will) write a whole book about this incredible girl, Dream, who I stayed in Bangkok with for 4 days, my beloved yoga team at Marina Frei, all the great people I met in the centre, and Femi – not just for explaining to me about the ice…

They say that it is the little everyday tasks you manage in a foreign country that make you feel truly „local“; in that case, for me, it was learning to drive a scooter, finding my way around in Krabi with Maps.me obtaining several new glasses from Super Cheap when I broke two in the kitchen of the centre where I was working, getting my t-shirt narrowed by a street seamstress in Bangkok, my camera repaired (without paying anything), my pedicure done in a street of Bangkok, curing my probably first-time cystitis at a local clinic in Krabi by using local antibiotics, explaining to the ladies at the information desk in the Discovery centre in Bangkok that my phone was mine as only I knew the gesto and there are pics of me in the camera, KA, using ALL the means of transport in Bangkok, including the 5 BHT local train, the Sky train, metro, local buses that swirl around Victory Monument (6.50 to 7 BHT), local truck-buses for 7 BHT, airport vans, airport shuttles, taxis (ok, no tuk tuks cause those are more touristy – and more expensive – than the taxis – which have metres – and you have to haggle), getting intoxicated with the locals first in Octave Roof Top Bar, Silom, Bangkok, then in a street open bar next to Dream´s street where we danced, sang, and yes, I accepted the way it goes here – people offering you a sip of their drink when they want to get to know you, talk to you, dance with you, when they appreciate you – and drank out of probably four to five glasses (god knows what) while still having had a few of my own drinks too, without getting drugged or sick afterwards (the 18-year old me would be proud of myself) and still being in the state of buying stuff for breakfast at 3 a.m. in 7-Eleven, yet falling asleep in the corridor, next to the door to Dream´s apartment, while she ran for help as the door would not open (without the key forgotten inside, on a hanger next to the doorknob).

Thailand, all they told me about you was that you have great beaches, a high degree of prostitution, cheap plastic surgery, frequent trans-gender visitors, that I should beware of my belongings and that Bangkok is crazy and busy, combining high quality standards of living with poverty and dirt and that your cuisine is rather meat-based… You know what – whatever!

Nobody told me I would earn twice the money here I get in Prague for working at a uni, that the rents are of 1/6 of the prices in Prague and buying a nice cosy apartment in the city centre would be like buying a good car in my country… nobody told me you offered such food variety and fun variety… nobody told me the spirit of yours was such a marvel… To me, you are a thrill! Thank you for having me!